Would You Get a “NanoDegree” Instead of Going to College?

If college seems like a ridiculous and expensive way to start a career, there’s a program being developed that could help you score a more focused degree in a quarter of the time. It’s called a “NanoDegree.”

AT&T teamed up with the online education company Udacity to create and develop the new online degree program that offers a technical degree in six to 12 months rather than the usual two years at a vocational school or four years for a full degree from a university. The classes take place online at an accelerated rate and enrollment is a mere fraction of what it costs for the full college experience. The organizers of the program claim that it streamlines graduates’ paths to get them the accreditation they need to get a job for a workforce that is having trouble finding skilled workers for certain technical and engineering positions.

The “NanoDegree” makes the process shorter because it only focuses on the core skills and training a student needs to start a career in a certain job rather than require a wider range of subjects and studies. AT&T vows to accept the degree for all entry-level positions and Udacity claims it is working with other companies to create similar degree plans.

We’re for anything that makes college cheaper and quicker–especially when it has a really good chance of leading to an actual job post-graduation. However, you can’t put a price on experiencing your first keg party or the time your friends passed out and you shaved off one of his eyebrows. Is there a way for AT&T to simulate that online while students are working on their “NanoDegrees”?